Xavier's eyes were locked with the hazed-out eyes of a skinny elderly woman. She had him held firm in her grasp even though her body looked gaunt and frail. She looked Xavier over and then started using her hands to angle his face she nodded and smiled. "It is good to see you again boy although this time you're the youngest I've ever seen you. Before you say you haven't met me before yes you have just in the future." Xavier was still in her hands and he couldn't help but stare confused at the woman. "so we've met in the future and that's where you know me from even though the future hasn't happened yet?" The woman let go of Xavier and nodded. "Yes to you that is the case, but to one who sees not the passage of time but time as it passes I have seen you and met you before."
Xavier grew more and more confused as time passed but remembered not to criticize her. "I'm not sure I understand you fully yet but I'm sure you've met me in my future and your past when I could correct?" The astrologist smiled as she looked over her shoulder with a toothless grin. "You always were smart on the uptake Xavier. Now you told me before on your first meeting you needed help with your interface so let's get you started." Xavier was more confused but was starting to believe the woman more as she somehow knew his name and why he was here. As she prepared a table she motioned for Xavier to come over to her and she patted the cold metal for him to get on. "lay up here deary and I'll be ready to help you in a moment."
Xavier climbed up and layed on the steel table and looked about the room. There were plenty of different gyro spheres and scrolls as well as maps looking as if they were star charts. Xavier also noticed a large telescope as well as several smaller ones out on a balcony nearby. "These should help you connect to your interface. I got them to prepare for you as I knew you would need my help eventually." The woman was hobbling over with a small wooden chest and she opened it to reveal a fine silk interior housing several different gems and crystals. "One of these should do the trick. It will break on consumption but each one has a chance to boost your elemental awareness which will help you access your interface." Xavier immediately looked defeated. "I can't do that ma'am. I don't have an element so how can I sense it?" she batted a hand at the air.
"That's all hogwash you can still sense elemental energy even without an element assigned to you. Now let's start with a sunstone or an opal that should be a good start." She raised two small gems out of the box and placed one on Xavier's chest before it dissolved into powder and was absorbed into Xavier with a dim glow. "Now boy focus, imagine your interface in front of you and keep your eyes open." Xavier stared up at the ceiling of the room and tried his best to imagine an interface but he couldn't picture it because he didn't know what it was supposed to look like. "This is pointless I can't imagine it in front of me if I don't know what I'm supposed to be seeing." Xavier was quick to get a stick beaten across the bridge of his nose and as he moaned in pain the astrologist glared at him. "You will do as I say boy now focus or else you'll get a proper beating put into you."
She then placed the second gem on his chest and it also dissolved into powder before being absorbed. Again Xavier tried to focus on the interface but again he couldn't imagine anything without knowing what he was supposed to be seeing before his eyes. "Okay, I think I remember now. You mentioned a green one so let me try some emerald." She grabbed another gem green in colour and repeated the process yet still Xavier could not see anything. Fearful for another whack to the face or anywhere else he cautiously asked her. "Did I ever mention how I see the interface to you or what it looked like?" The astrologist starred at Xavier for a moment before shaking her head and nodding. "You just told me how I can help you. You mentioned something about seeing it as a game. I mean who sees something that can save your life as a game. Crazy man you are when you grow up."
Xavier then began to give that thought. He closed his eyes and imagined a black square box. Then he could remember a wooden border around the box. He then added the details of segmenting it into categories. Xavier then added writing into each segment at the top and imagined the layout and design of each segment. Character, Equipment, Party, Stats, Inventory, Crafting, Skills and finally Map. Xavier then opened his eyes and still could not see the interface. "Is there by chance anything else in there that you said was green?" The astrologist looked through the chest and took out a small chunk of some hazy green stone. "This is all I have left that's green. A stone called aventurine." She then placed it on Xavier's chest and Xavier watched again as it turned into powder on him but this time it came towards his face. Xavier could feel it enter his eyes yet it did not sting or irritate them. Instead, Xavier could feel his mind going blank aside from the thought of the interface and before he knew it his mind was all fuzzy. Suddenly Xavier could vividly see a solid black square box with a wooden border in front of him.
Seeing nothing now but this box before him Xavier imagined himself navigating through it. On the Character segment, he saw an overlay of his name and how he currently looked, as well as his current job and element. It still read elemental but the element was left empty. Proceeding with the interface Xavier checked his Equipment and it said he had equipped otherworldly clothes and the badge of graduation which granted plus five to defence. To Xavier this seemed rather useful early on. Checking the Party segment it showed Xavier with Ethan and Sintarra. He then noticed it added the squad and showed Tyler and Rachel there with two blank spots for the squad members Xavier had yet to meet. When viewing the Stats segment he noticed that each stat was rather high for a beginner at least to him aside from magic. the States read as Health/100 Stamina/82 Endurance/31 Defence/27(22+5) Magic Defence /18 Strength/29 magic/3 mana/18. Continuing to his Inventory Xavier noticed he had nothing aside from what was already equipped to him. He then skipped to the Map which was blank. Xavier then backtracked to the Crafting segment and that also was blank like the Map segment.
Xavier fearing for the Skill segment he hesitated before entering it. He thought it may also be blank like the two before it and was concerned with how he may see it with skills yet to be unlocked. To his horror when he changed to the Skill segment he saw nothing as it was also blank. Xavier felt worried he may never get a soil before he noticed that this part was also segmented. He was viewing his Active skills and he felt a twinge of hope seeing that there was a Passive portion as well. Switching to the segment Xavier felt his heart rest as he saw not one but two passive skills. Communications level.1- Can communicate freely with beings of this world. Essence Absorption level.1- Can absorb the essence of any tier 1 item and increase stats appropriately.
Xavier examined the interface over several times trying to get used to navigating it. After he finally began to feel comfortable with it he imagined himself closing out of it. As the box disappeared Xavier was greeted with a smiling old lady leaning over him. "So with the fact you stared at me for so long I assume you connected to your interface?" Xavier shot up narrowly avoiding smashing his skull against the woman's and then turned to her as she stood there smiling. "Thank you! Thank you so much I never would have known this had you not told me about the game mindset. How can I repay you for this madam?" "The woman began to think and smiled. " You will bring me something previous eventually in your life so think of this as my thanks for that young man. Otherwise, if that is all I can help you with today may I ask you to leave? I have some rude people at the door who are too impatient to wait." Xavier only just now began to hear the beating of fists against the solid door and two muffled voices screaming his name. "I'll be out in a moment!" Xavier climbed down off the table and taking a step towards the door he waited and turned to the woman again. "How did you know I had an Essence Absorption skill?" She smiled in response and Xavier instantly realized. "I've told you about it in your past, haven't I?" She nodded congratulations as if he had finally begun to understand. "Now go I can't stand that annoyance anymore."
Xavier opened the thick oak door wondering how the frail old lady managed to do it so quickly. As he opened it Ethan and Sintarra started looking him over. "What happened what did she do to you? Where you some experiment or did she best you with her cane?" Sintarra questioned and grabbed Xavier's face looking into his eyes. "Do not lie to me!" Xavier laughed at the absurdity of the two. "No she didn't, well she did whack me with the cane once but aside from that, I'm fine. She helped me connect to my interface and I can finally use it properly." Ethan began getting excited for Xavier. "So then you can access your stats and skills properly?" "Yes I can see it all, I don't have much for now but I plan to work hard and grow over time. With you both by my side as I do so." The trio all smiled and began making their way back down the stairway as the sun began to set out the window and Xavier finally felt like he was becoming part of this world.